A confession

[quesarah]

Okay, I know that I've guffawed, criticized, and generally pooh-poohed the last two Star Wars movies. But god help me, I'm actually excited about Revenge of the Sith. I've ooohed and ahhed over the advance reviews, watched the trailer, and secretly been just been giddy about its release. I haven't had a rational explanation for it until now:

It's Darth Vader.

The 7 year old in me who was wide-eyed over the first movie back in '77 is breathless with the anticipation of seeing The Villain of my childhood back onscreen. I want to see Anakin's final fall to the Dark Side and his transformation into Vader. The sight of that suit of armor, the helmet, and James Earl Jones' voice. Dooooode.

Comments

[juanitadark.livejournal.com]

I don't have the Vader thing, more the Anakin thing but I get where you're coming from. I'm getting excited about it.

I'm aware that there'll be flaws but dude - there's the duel and they're trying to kill each other and there's trauma, and lots of ugly death.

What's not to be happy about - if the acting sucks they'll still all die :D Well nearly all of them.

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

LOL that's a good thing to keep in mind.

Does Padme know she's pregnant by the end of the movie? She has to be pregnant before Anakin's final fall. But the timing is such that he doesn't know -- or at least, doesn't know about Leia.

[juanitadark.livejournal.com]

Wait, I'm not going to totally spoil you by telling you the outcome but how much do you want to know?

I'll just answer what you asked me:

1. Padme knows she's pregnant well into the film, not just at the end.
2. Anakin knows she's pregnant too (He apparently thinks it's a girl).
3. Anakin... well by his fall and after The Duel things get...confused for him. And well... I don't want to spoil that one.

(ps - feel free to squee away with me. I'm starting to get all into these films and such).

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

Oooh. OOOOH.

*thinks*

In Episode V, Vader knows he is Luke's father. Presumably he's kept tabs on the family back on Tatooine? But he doesn't know about Leia until Luke's thoughts give him away...

Am I on the right track?

[juanitadark.livejournal.com]

Yep.

You'll find out. It's kind of sad.

I suspect most people will be simultaneously thrilled and disappointed with this film.

ps - I'm aware that the dark side seems to cloud or at least limit the jedi's ability to 'read' the force. So when Luke's on Tatooine, Obi-Wan is also there, so I'm not sure if he's in some respect 'cloaked' Luke's presence. But then it's interesting to not that Qui-Gon Jinn noticed Anakin's potential only because of his preternatural piloting skills and then by quantitively measuring it (that whole midi-chlorians thing that most SW fans revile - but which I actually have no problem with, really).

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

I read some of the spoilery bits from the novelisation that you posted on your journal. About, erm, after the duel. Is that for real?

[woe2you.livejournal.com]

No problem with? It killed the mysticism of the Jedi as warrior-monk. Some things should be left unsaid.

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

I agree. The midi-chlorians thing really bothered me. The Force shouldn't be quantifiable, it should be beyond reckoning.

[juanitadark.livejournal.com]

What I said was: (that whole midi-chlorians thing that most SW fans revile - but which I actually have no problem with, really)

To reiterate, I still have no problem with it. I'm not happening to change my mind because a lot of people disagree with me.

To me a symbiotic relationship with another organism (or organisms) doesn't touch upon the spirituality of the Jedi in question. For me, that mysticism is still there but I simply have to look harder to pinpoint it. And it definitely seems to be in the spirit of each character rather than their special abilities. Which to me makes sense given that the new trilogy is basically showing the flaws of the Jedi order as it stood during Anakin's training.

The responsibility of the mysticism is therefore with the people. Not to mention that their perception of what they call the Force is still pretty much a mystery.

So I maintain that it still does not kill it for me, at this time.

[woe2you.livejournal.com]

The responsibility of storytelling, however, is with the storyteller, be it on paper or in film. And one of the responsibilities of the storyteller is not ruining the mystique they've built up by explaining too much of the machinery.
If you'd like to pursue this further, be warned: like the real Han Solo, I shoot first. :P

[juanitadark.livejournal.com]

Yes but this is like saying the mystique of a beautiful sunrise is ruined by that fact that man now knows what outer space looks like. I don't see that revealing 'the machinery' has ruined the mystique just changed it.

The 'responsibility' of the storyteller is maintaining continuity and consistency. That point, here, is one to be argued, and it's still ultimately a matter of opinion. I still maintain mine for the time being.

And no, Han Solo, I don't wish to persue it further (see the above). Arguing the semantics of what's in conclusion, somebody else's fictional 'vision' seems a bit pointless in the scheme of things. I'm just saying that I'm one of the few Star Wars viewers that doesn't mind that plot addition.

I'm sure that's allowed, though you don't have to like it.

[woe2you.livejournal.com]

one of the few Star Wars viewers that doesn't mind that plot addition

They're called "infidels", and are doomed to burn for all eternity for their heresy. Really. Would I lie to you?

[madenglishbloke.livejournal.com]

ive been saying for years now that one of the major plot points in this is going to be dooku holding padme prisoner, and anakin having to make a choice between serving seeing her die, or killing dooku and taking his place at the emporers right hand (in a rather bizarre future-echo of return of the jedi) - ive a funny feeling that the revalation that she is pregnant is what pushes anakin over the edge.
just a pity that no-one bothers to point out that its twins shes having...
oh - and one small point - if vader was looking for his son for all these years - why didnt he go and check on his family on tattoine?? surely that would have been the most logical place to hide him??

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

Vader knew he was Luke's father in Episode V. He didn't know about Leia though, until he reads it in Luke's thoughts. I assume that Vader did keep track of the family back on Tatooine but never knew about Leia.